GERMANTOWN, Tennessee — Friday kicked off the first Memphis-area high school football game with COVID-19 restrictions. Not only were fans limited, players and coaches had to adjust to the new norm.
CBHS knocked off Houston in Germantown by a score of 24-14 Friday, but the thrill of competition took a backseat to the thrill of having competition.
Houston and Christian Brothers was one of a small handful of high school football games going on in Shelby County. They tried to make it as normal as possible, even with the crowd at 10% capacity seated at 12 feet apart. But in between the lines, the game was the same, at least on paper.
After months of preparation --both on and off the field-- Friday was a welcomed moment for these teams.
“Honestly, I’m more optimistic right now than I have been in a long time. You know our school is doing a great job, our kids in school are doing a great job, our guys on the field are doing a great job. We’ve had no issues, knock on wood. We’re just going to take it as long as we can get it,” said CBHS head football coach Thomas McDaniel.
“At the end of the day, there are a lot of people around town that aren’t being given that chance, and I think we came out here and proved that this is doable,” said Houston head football coach James Thomas.
“They’ve earned the right that they get to do this, and for us to be at this point, it makes you feel good as a coach,” McDaniel added.
“It comes down to these kids being safe and doing the right things. And, you know, they always say the biggest jump you’re going to have is from week 1 to week 2, and we have to do that because we’re going to play a good team in Briarcrest next week” added Thomas.
Regulations tonight varied from game to game across the county. Houston was kind enough to accommodate us. They were actively enforcing masks and social distancing guidelines.
We don’t know what was done at Collierville, because the school chose to ban reporters from attending a public event at a public high school.
What we do know is that football was played this Friday night. But, as we saw this week with the outbreak that temporarily shut down Harding Academy, there is no guarantee, especially in the absence of testing, how long contact sports will continue.
But it is here now, and these schools are doing everything they can to attempt to provide a football season for as long and safe as they are able.